Ulster County executive camouflages missteps

Dear Editor:

The Ulster County Legislature has a strong record of prioritizing and addressing the opioid epidemic in this county and supporting the county’s response to COVID-19. Any attempt by the county executive to politicize these issues with inaccurate attacks to cover up incompetence is shameful.

The Executive’s Office began advertising two new staff positions in December 2019, set their salaries, and began hiring in February without the Legislature’s full knowledge or approval, which violates the county charter and our ability to carry out our fiduciary duty to protect the taxpayer while also ensuring needed services are being provided.

Since these actions took place in December and February, they had nothing to do with COVID-19, as stated by the the executive. The vital work on opioid research is still being carried out; hence there is no impact on that operation, as he implied.

The only impact is that we will be requesting payment from Columbia University for the county’s work on the grant a month later.

Unfortunately, the withholding of information, either willfully or by misstep, has become a trend of malpractice on the side of the administration that could jeopardize many important issues in the future.

For the executive to attempt to camouflage his missteps under cover of a crisis that has devastated our county, state and nation are on him, but we as a body will continue to do our due diligence as required of us.

We look forward to working together through shared information as we approach what may be the most challenging budget of our lifetimes.

David Donaldson

Kingston, N.Y. The writer is chairman of the Ulster County Legislature.